real estate news - The Jenn Pfeiffer Team

March 5, 2024

Buying Houses Before Finding Spouses

By Debra Kim| The New York Times Single men traditionally get a head start in homeownership and reap the benefits faster, but single women are thinking creatively to close the gap. Rachel Rodman always dreamed of owning her own home, but life kept getting in the way. She became a mother at 19, then went through a complicated divorce that left her financially depleted. For many years, she felt resigned to renting with her son, James, now 14. Ms. Rodman, 33, earns a steady income as an events producer for SXSW, the annual festival of creative arts and technology held in her hometown, Austin, Texas. Still, she never felt she had...

by Jenn Pfeiffer

0 Comments

February 28, 2024

Selling

Pet-Friendly Features That Could Help Your Home Sell Faster

By Kristine Gill | Better Homes & Gardens Pets are a top factor in today's home purchases, and these pet-related upgrades could help sell your home. For many Americans, a pet makes a house a home. In fact, studies show that many homebuyers report prioritizing pets’ needs when shopping for a new home. It would stand to reason then that certain pet-friendly features can not only enhance the value of your home but also help it sell faster. “As our furry friends become ever more integrated into our families, their needs are increasingly factored into home-buying decisions,” says Scott Beaudry, broker and owner with Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Universal. We’ll take...

by Jenn Pfeiffer

0 Comments

February 26, 2024

Selling

Sales of New Homes Tick Up in January

By Aarthi Swaminathan | Realtor.com The numbers: Sales of newly built homes in the U.S. inched up in January, even as mortgage rates rose. U.S. new-home sales rose 1.5% to an annual rate of 661,000 in January, from a revised 651,000 in the prior month, the Commerce Department reported Monday. The number is seasonally adjusted and refers to how many homes would be built over an entire year if builders continued at the same pace every month. The pace fell short of expectations on Wall Street. Economists had forecast new-home sales to total 680,000 in January. Mortgage rates rose to a six-week high at the end of January, according to data from Freddie Mac, which might...

by Jenn Pfeiffer

0 Comments

February 21, 2024

Selling

It’s Time To Prepare Your House for a Spring Listing

From our friends in KCM If you’re thinking of selling your house this spring, now is the perfect time to start getting it ready. With the market gearing up for its busiest time of year, it’ll be important to make sure your house shines bright among the competition. Here are some valuable tips you can use to get your house market-ready. Declutter and Organize First impressions matter, and if your house is a mess, that can easily turn off potential buyers. Before listing, take the time to declutter and organize each room. Decluttering is about more than just tidying up – it’s about creating a sense of space and openness that allows potential buyers to envision...

by Jenn Pfeiffer

0 Comments

February 20, 2024

Living

Think Your Property Taxes Are High? See How Much Homeowners Pay in the Cheapest and Most Expensive States

By Clare Trapasso | Realtor.com Homebuyers looking to avoid high property taxes probably shouldn’t move to New Jersey. The Garden State continued to have the dubious honor of having the nation’s highest property taxes, according to a recent report from personal finance website WalletHub. New Jersey homeowners paid a median of $9,345 in 2022, according to the report. That’s compared with the typical homeowner who paid just $2,869 in property taxes a year, according to U.S. Census Bureau data cited in the report. “Americans who are considering moving and want to maximize the amount of money they take home should take into account property tax rates, in addition to other financial factors like the...

by Jenn Pfeiffer

0 Comments

February 15, 2024

Buying

Don’t Let the Latest Home Price Headlines Confuse You

From our friends KCM Based on what you’re hearing in the news about home prices, you may be worried they’re falling. But here’s the thing. The headlines aren’t giving you the full picture. If you look at the national data for 2023, home prices actually showed positive growth for the year. While this varies by market, and while there were some months with slight declines nationally, those were the exception, not the rule. The overarching story is that prices went up last year, not down. Let’s dive into the data to set the record straight. 2023 Was the Return to More Normal Home Price Growth If anything, last year marked a return to more normal home price...

by Jenn Pfeiffer

0 Comments

February 9, 2024

Buying, Living, News

Houses Are Still Selling Fast

From our friends in KCM Have you been thinking about selling your house? If so, here’s some good news. While the housing market isn’t as frenzied as it was during the ‘unicorn’ years when houses were selling quicker than ever, they’re still selling faster than normal. The graph below uses data from Realtor.com to tell the story of median days on the market for every January from 2017 all the way through the latest numbers available. For Realtor.com, days on the market means from the time a house is listed for sale until its closing date or the date it’s taken off the market. This metric can help give you an idea of just how quickly homes...

by Jenn Pfeiffer

0 Comments

February 7, 2024

Living

The Most Undervalued Housing Markets in the U.S.

By Patrick S. Duffy | US NEWS & WORLD REPORT Monthly costs in these locations start as low as 18% of local per capita incomes, compared with the national average of 39%. Detroit may not be the most undervalued area for long. Its economy will continue to see steady growth in the years ahead with more jobs and higher wages for area residents. Key Takeaways: The most undervalued markets to purchase a home continue to be located predominantly in the Midwest and the East Coast, led by Detroit, Cleveland, Philadelphia, St. Louis and Oklahoma City. The most undervalued markets to rent a home are also concentrated in the Midwest, led...

by Jenn Pfeiffer

0 Comments

February 6, 2024

Buying, Home Staging, Uncategorized

6 Reasons Why It Makes Sense To Sell a Home Right Now—Before the Spring Rush

By Jillian Pretzel | Realtor.com Thinking about selling your house in 2024? While many home sellers wait until spring to put their property on the market, there are some distinct advantages to getting ahead of the curve this year and listing sooner rather than later. Generally, the cold weather season causes home sales to be sluggish, but this winter is a bit different. High interest rates kept much of America’s real estate market in a deep freeze for most of 2023. But now that rates have subsided a bit in the new year, there is a whole lot of pent-up demand (and supply) that could burst onto the market at any...

by Jenn Pfeiffer

0 Comments

February 2, 2024

Buying, Living

U.S. Mortgage Demand Falls as Buyers Struggle With Low Number of Home Listings

By Aarthi Swaminathan | REALTOR.COM The numbers: U.S. mortgage applications fell as home buyers struggled with a low number of home listings and rising home prices. Home-buying demand was dampened due to a persistent lack of supply. The overall market composite index—a measure of mortgage application volume—decreased in the last week, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) said on Wednesday. The market index fell 7.2% to 202.5 for the week ending January 26 from a week ago. A year ago, the index stood at 233.0. Key details: The purchase index—which measures mortgage applications for the purchase of a home—fell 7.2% from a week ago. The refinance index fell 11.4%, as homeowners saw little...

by Jenn Pfeiffer

0 Comments

real estate news Tag

Buying Houses Before Finding Spouses

Pet-Friendly Features That Could Help Your Home Sell Faster

Sales of New Homes Tick Up in January

It’s Time To Prepare Your House for a Spring Listing

Think Your Property Taxes Are High? See How Much Homeowners Pay in the Cheapest and Most Expensive States

Don’t Let the Latest Home Price Headlines Confuse You

Houses Are Still Selling Fast

The Most Undervalued Housing Markets in the U.S.

6 Reasons Why It Makes Sense To Sell a Home Right Now—Before the Spring Rush

U.S. Mortgage Demand Falls as Buyers Struggle With Low Number of Home Listings

Connect

Locate

Follow

Subscribe to my Mailing List

real estate news Tag

Connect

Locate

Follow